I recently met with Nigel Bowers and was lucky enough to have a demonstration ride with him. Although there is nothing new with this type of ride which lasted about 10 - 12 miles along 'A' roads and dual carriageways, it was the first time I had has a live running commentary with it. Both of us had two way radios fitted and Nigel offered to lead the way and give the commentary. I have seen this done on Nigels website and others as well, however, when you actually follow a professional rider such as Nigel and are able to see the whole picture along with the commentary it really becomes apparent that radios are a huge advantage to tutoring. In recent years the cost of these radio systems has dropped quite significantly, and even a cheap set performs quite reasonably, after all it is not as though they need to transmit to the moon and back.

There are some major benefits in the use of radio systems during tutoring. They can help the pupil/associate concentrate on the road ahead as they will not have to constantly remember when the next turn is coming up, or constantly look behind them to see the indicators on the instructors bike. Remember, the more time you spend looking behind you the less time you have to check the hazards in front of you.

If anybody else out there has the chance of one of these rides, snap his hand off. It is well worth it. The instructors aren't ogres, they are bikers with huge experience and willingness to help.

Jon Cook

Nigel,

I ' m just writing to say how much I enjoyed the day ' s training with you.

I am really pleased with how much your expert help and advice has improved my riding.  I am sure that your course would be of benefit to anyone looking to improve their riding skills and survival on the bike.

You made me feel completely at ease, not an easy task.  The regular debriefs throughout the day were really beneficial as they helped clarify the things you had shown on the road.   It was also useful to follow you on your own machine as this allowed me to follow the line of the bends and see where I should po sition myself to gain the best view in  whole variety of hazards .

I was impressed by your own observation of the situations and hazards which you relayed to me as we pro gressed.  It was like training to be a Jedi biker under the tutelage of Master Yoda.  I am still amazed at just how far you look when assessing the road. 

I hope to be able to come back again in 2009 for 2 or 3 day s.

I know we discussed the costs and whilst they may appear expensive, I believe when you consider the options of not training with an advanced instructor like yourself , the cost is actually worth it.  The benefits in terms of improved survivability far outweigh the money spent.  I believe t he capital outlay for the course should not be the deciding factor .   I would urge anyone who is strapped for cash to sell their kidneys or the mother in law ' s body to science , or rob a bank to get the money.

I would be happy to talk to anyone about how good the course is should they wish to contact me personally.

Anyway may the force be with you.

I look forward to seeing you next year.

Kind regards

Charlie Poxon

PS. Thanks for all the free videos you put on You T ube , they are superb!

Hi Nigel,

I was going to drop you an email but you beat me to it :)

I have received the DVD, thank you, and I was very taken with the fact that I was actually printed on the disks. Didn't realise straight away which was a bit dim on my part.

I had a superb time, and the weather didn't detract from it at all because I didn't get cold. I learnt a lot that day with your excellent instruction, and definitely feel better with my riding. I will definitely recommend you to my friends and I hope to do another course in the future. I might win another raffle :)

Thanks very much for a smashing day. Dave enjoyed it too.

Best Regards,...Emma

Hi Nigel

Just to say great big thank you for taking me for the test today. I really did enjoy my ride and are more pleased than you will ever no with the result it is great to meet people like your self that put a lot of thought in to making motor bikes more fun to ride in a very safe manner,

Paul Cartwright

Hi Nigel,

Just wanted to say thanks, Gary is normally a man of few words but has had lots to say this week, he really enjoyed his days riding with you, thanks again for making his birthday present a memory he will not forget. He took me out last night on the bike to demonstrate his new riding style, i have to say without insulting how he rode before that is was smoother on the bends but a bit weird for me as we weren't going round the corners the way I've been used to, so I'm the one who now has some learning to do. Again thanks for making his day!

Jane.

Simon Weir BIKE Magazine

Enhanced Rider Assessment - Use of Video

The clip on Youtube:- That's absolutely brilliant – well, the minimal display of rear obs isn't, but it's brilliant to see myself ride. I've not had that before and it's absolutely fascinating. Really rams home the points you made – they're the same things I'm looking at and thinking, faster, give it more space, late on line, where's the shoulder check?!!! What a good device!

Thank you very much Simon

Hi Nigel,    

Thanks for taking the time to send me the DVD. I watched it from start to finish as soon as it arrived. I really like the way the DVD has been put together, everything is simple and concise and explained in a way that makes it easy to memorise and put into practice when out riding. I think the DVD has some really useful techniques and ideas that a rider of any level could utilise in order to make there riding experience safer and more enjoyable. The thing I noticed most is how the riders begin to 'flow' all of the techniques together. I will definetly use this DVD as a reference point in the future and look forward to passing my DAS so I can continue with advanced training.

Dan

I have just found my feedback report from my NVQ on road instructional observation session. (Bit of background - The assessor was running late and as he arrived a car driver knocked my motorcycle over in the car park. Thank goodness for Duck tape).

Name: Nigel Bowers - Date of assessment: 2/8/02 - Elements assessed: Positioning for view Location of assessment: Staffordshire - Name of assessor: Jon Tilley Assessor

Feedback: Nigel is obviously an experienced motorcycle instructor. He carefully explained what he wanted fiom his customer. Encouraged his customer throughout and praised when required. What a difficult start! I commend Nigel for managing to do any coaching at all. As well as the 'car park incident!' I was running late so Nigel was up against the clock as well. I saw some very good instruction despite the above......... Nigel has a good professional manner, and wealth of knowledge and experience, and the enviable ability to stay calm under extreme pressure! Nigel has a good professional manner, and wealth of knowledge and experience, and the enviable ability to stay calm under extreme pressure!